Die, Replay, Repeat

Chapter 28: My Power is Prophecy

For a split second, the sight became super weird. Even if Fang Xiu had seen tons of bizarre and creepy Specters, he was shocked as he watched Zhao Hao. But then, Fang Xiu spotted something out of the ordinary. Using his spiritual power, he felt this unique energy coming out from Zhao Hao._ _

_'Is Zhao Hao about to use his special power?'_

Just then, Zhao Hao jumped up from where he was sitting; his face was red, and he was breathing heavily. After taking a good look around him, he looked super confused at first, then his face lit up like he had just won a video game.

"Xiu, did it work?"

Before Zhao Hao could continue, it looked like he remembered something important. He became super cautious and stared straight at Fang Xiu.

"Is that really you, Xiu?"

Watching Zhao Hao react like that, Fang Xiu thought the guy had gotten smarter, even if it was just a little. To show Zhao Hao this wasn't some sort of weird dream, Fang Xiu started talking.

"The Plumber Coming At Night, I'm Tall and Plump, Game Going Down There, The Air Hostess's Special Favor, Avatar: Nude Edition."

"Whoa! Stop right there! You totally snooped on my phone, didn't you, Xiu?" Zhao Hao's face turned red like a tomato, and he quickly got up, motioning for Fang Xiu to stop. "Okay, okay. Let's gear up and head out."

Zhao Hao nodded. But when he noticed their two buddies who were no longer alive, he looked shocked and sighed deeply.

Now, the two were standing in front of the real exit. When they opened the door earlier, it was all just an illusion. Every time they got to the door, they would get pulled into the dream.

Fang Xiu touched the door and felt something wasn't right.

'_Why isn't the Specter showing up this time?'_

The very first time he woke up from the dream, he was the only one still breathing. The Specter popped up, wondering why Fang Xiu wasn't spooked. But the following times, even when he broke free, The Specter was MIA.

Fang Xiu thought maybe it was because Zhao Hao and the gang were still okay, so the Specter stayed in the dreamland. But now, everyone's strange dreams were over. So, where was the Specter?

Fang Xiu's mind raced back to Zhao Hao's weird actions before he woke uplike he was trying to kiss and grab something invisible.

_Could that be a hint..._

He felt like he was onto something but kept it to himself for now, deciding to just push the door open. In front of them was this huge, never-ending blackness.

After wandering in the pitch black for roughly ten minutes, they started seeing some light. As the light pushed the shadows away, it was like watching a curtain lift, and they saw the real world outside.

There they were, standing on a road. Fang Xiu was 100% sure this wasn't some dream because he spotted those super freaky Specters floating around and even a few chilling in the trees nearby.

A short distance behind them stood the sales office of Willow Hill. The Green Mountain Mental Hospital, which they had clearly seen before, was now out of sight.

But Fang Xiu knew it hadn't just disappeared. The hospital was hiding, meshed into the sales office.

Still, he was confused.

_'Why can I see the mental hospital earlier but not now? Before, the sales office wasn't in the way, but now it looked like the hospital had mixed into the sales office. Is it like the hospital had become part of the real world and was hidden behind the ordinary buildings? But earlier, since it was all a dreamy illusion, nothing was blocking it?'_

"We're finally out, Xiu!" Zhao Hao looked like someone who had just won the hardest video game level ever.

Instead of answering, Fang Xiu asked, "Did you awaken your special psychic power?"

"Psychic power?" Zhao Hao thought for a second. "Something weird did happen in that dream."

He then shut his eyes super tight. When he opened them a bit later, he was grinning ear to ear. "Xiu, I feel like I've turned into some cool superhero. My senses are super sharp now, and I feel strong. If that tall and creepy Specter shows up again, I bet I could take her down in just one hit!"

Fang Xiu just nodded, not really shocked. After all, Zhao Hao had been through a lot, especially those crazy dream adventures and dealing with that main Specter. He had touched the thigh of the "doctor," too. So, maybe he had activated some psychic power.

But now that his psychic power had awakened, Fang Xiu couldn't help but wonder

_'What kind of spiritual power does Zhao Hao have?'_

"What's your special spiritual power?"

"Spiritual power?" Zhao Hao thought really hard and then shrugged. "I can't really tell if I have one."

"You don't know?" Fang Xiu was surprised but didn't push it. After all, he wasn't an expert on psychic stuff.

"So, I have no powers? I thought Wang Ziteng said that everyone with psychic powers gets a super cool spiritual power?" Zhao Hao looked super bummed out.

"Xiu, what's your spiritual power?"

"I can see what's going to happen in the future."

"Wait, what?! You can see the future?!" Zhao Hao's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Fang Xiu just nodded, trying to stay calm. He didn't want to trick Zhao Hao, but he was planning for the future.

He could undo bad stuff that had happened, and it kind of looked like he was predicting the future. It just made sense to say he had the power of prophecy. Plus, being able to see into the future was a super cool power. If there was some psychic group out there, he could join and become a big deal with this power.

In a world where Specters lurked but didn't cause total mayhem, and where there were hardly any headlines about these spooky beings, it was pretty clear to Fang Xiu that some major psychic group was secretly pulling the strings.

They were probably the ones keeping things peaceful and making sure everything was under wraps. This mystery group probably had tons of cool tools that would be helpful for anyone with psychic powers.

Fang Xiu was desperate to level up his powers. So, he wanted to prove he was a big deal and super valuable. Before all those freaky run-ins with Specters, maybe he would've stayed under the radar, just chilling and earning some profit on the side.

But after those close calls with death, all he wanted was to get super strong, super fast, and get some payback. It was like in those fantasy books where the super-talented kids always got the best stuff, no matter which guild they joined.

Right now, Fang Xiu's game plan was to be that kid.

The reason he didn't tell Zhao Hao about his real power was simplehe wasn't sure if people could have more than one power in this world.

If it was like that anime "One Piece," he remembered, where you could only eat one special fruit and get one power, telling people he had two powers would be like putting a big sign on his back that said, "Come and study my weird body!"

Being a bit ahead of the game made you look like a genius, but if you were way too ahead, people might think you were just plain nuts.

"Xiu, it totally makes sense now! You knew where to go in that creepy Specter Zone and which spots were safe because you could see what was coming!" Zhao Hao suddenly said.

He was so scared back in the Specter Zone that he didn't even notice Fang Xiu's future-seeing moves. He was just following Fang Xiu like a lost puppy. But looking back, Fang Xiu had made all the correct decisions.

Zhao Hao thought, _'He told me how to duck fatal risks multiple times! If that wasn't seeing into the future, what was?'_

For a second, Zhao Hao was pumped that Fang Xiu had such an epic spiritual power. But that excitement fizzled out fast.

He got bummed out again, thinking maybe he didn't have any powers. It was like that old saying, "You're glad your buddy's doing well but kinda jealous of his cool stuff."

That was exactly how Zhao Hao was feeling right now."